How much thought did you give into selecting the step stool your child uses in the bathroom? Potty stools are not just there to help a child climb onto the toilet. They also provide foot support, a key element in toilet training. The majority of potty training resources I've read for both Typically Developing and Special Needs children recommend that your child's feet be securely supported so the child feels stable, comfortable, and safe. This need for solid foot support continues until your child's feet can reach the bathroom floor while seated on the toilet.

Dangling feet can lead to pins and needles in the legs, even if your child does not have poor circulation. Proper foot support also helps reduce slumping. A child has to be relaxed with good potty posture for the body to do its business in the bathroom. And finally, when kids feel secure on the toilet, they don't need to keep a death grip on the toilet seat or rim (um, gross).

Some situations where proper foot support is especially important for the Special Needs child:
* high muscle tone
* low muscle tone
* poor or altered lower body awareness
* Sensory Processing issues
* impaired vision
* anxiety

Clara-Bear's potty training began two years ago, when she was only three. She could not walk at the time, needed help standing, and her low muscle tone (hypotonia) made her unstable if she did not have proper support when sitting. She also had a little nervousness about heights. For tiny Clara-Bear, sitting on the big potty was scary.

Taking care of positioning was the first step in her potty training process.
We actually started off with no footrest or step stool because I couldn't find one that did everything we needed. Regular foot stools were nowhere near stable enough for a child with all of Clara-Bear's gross motor and sensory issues. Tipping was such a problem that I stopped using a step stool and did permanent damage to my back lifting her on and off the toilet. Clara-Bear has always been small for her age and regular potty step stools were too short to use as a footrest. I had to ignore the good advice I read about foot support and tried to wing it.

The result was that Clara-Bear hated sitting on the big potty! She would sway, grab at me, and struggled with constant uncontrollable body movement. After much unsuccessful shopping, a toddler's cube chair solved the footrest problem. But we have a tiny bathroom. There wasn't enough room for me to help her use it to climb on the toilet, and the height was a little off for a stepstool. Storage when it wasn't being used was a problem as well. The search for a space saving, non-tipping, dual purpose foot/step stool continued.

This is why I got so excited when I came across the Little Looster Loo Booster. I had never seen a potty stool designed to solve so many problems at once!



The shape of the Little Looster is part of what makes it so effective.



The innovative horseshoe design gives the Little Looster features you will not find in another potty footrest or step stool.

* It wraps around the toilet so it does not have to be removed when adults or larger children sit or stand at the toilet.
* No additional storage space is needed.
* The extra long sides create stability, so it is much more difficult to tip or kick over than a traditional stool.
* At 8 1/2 inches tall, it is taller than many single step stepstools. It can be used as both a stable step stool and a foot rest.
* Little hands no longer need to clutch the edges of the toilet to feel secure. Much more sanitary!
* Children are more comfortable, which means they will be more relaxed.

Doesn't Clara-Bear look relaxed on her Little Looster?



Clara-Bear's potty training is definitely a process, not an event. She needs maximum assistance with custom tailored interventions in all areas of potty training: positioning, behaviors, communication, body awareness, and self-care.

Taking this long, slow road gives her time to mature and gives me time to explore resources and interventions. I'm looking forward to sharing more of our discoveries with you!

The Little Looster Loo Booster can be purchased directly from their website for $39.99 and sales are not limited to the U.S. - inquire to see if Little Looster is available in your country. Follow Little Looster on Twitter for special offers and contest information. In fact, I just saw on Twitter that Little Looster is sponsoring a contest: the best 60 second Little Looster video posted on YouTube by 10/31/10 will win $1,000!

I was given a Little Looster for use in this review. The review sponsors did not influence this review or edit it.

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